Although there is a tendency to associate advertisements with consumerism, many ads also belong to public service groups or non-profits and rely on making people care to fund their causes. Feed SA is one of these, a charitable non-profit which operates in South Africa with a goal of funding food programs for feeding impoverished South African children (About Feed SA). In one popular campaign, Feed SA placed decals at the bottom of grocery carts in local stores which created the optical illusion that a starving child was sitting at the bottom of the cart with hands outstretched for food. When people put food into the cart, it looked as if they were giving it to the child. The handle of the cart asked, “See how easy feeding the hungry can be?” Collection tins and food bins were then available at each exit from the store (Hochfellner). The guerrilla campaign forced shoppers to confront the realities of poverty and appealed to their senses of guilt and empathy.
The Feed SA campaign seems to rely strongly on the idea that most people would be willing to donate if they were confronted with the suffering of others and focuses mostly on spreading awareness in a way that leaves behind a strong emotional impact. Not only do the pictures of the starving children promote awareness of hunger in South Africa, but they create a personal conflict for the shopper. Every time an item is put into a cart with a starving child at the bottom of it, shoppers are confronted with a starving child, which creates a feeling of discomfort and guilt in the shopper. The tagline uses a rhetorical question to direct these emotions towards donating. The campaign makes the assumption that shoppers would be willing to help if it wasn’t so hard. This takes away some of the blame for not having donated before. Clearly, the only thing standing in the way of the shopper’s generosity and empathy was that they didn’t know how to help. Now that they know, they can demonstrate the goodwill that was in them all along. By creating both a feeling of guilt and a path to absolution, the campaign is intensely personal.
Although anyone who enters the store would probably be sympathetic to the cause of feeding starving children, Feed SA specifically targets those who are willing and able to donate. In addition to the emotional experience of seeing a child suffering, chances are that the child suffering is the same race as the viewer. Statistics South Africa’s 2011 census showed that 76.4% of South Africans identify as Black Africans (Stats SA). In the faces of the children starving, shoppers may see children they know or are related to. Although shoppers of any race would be affected, those that can feel a personal connection may be more motivated to donate. Additionally, the ad assumes that shoppers have a little extra that they can afford to donate. A shopper who struggles financially may be less affected, knowing the choice is between feeding his or herself and their own children. Comparatively, a shopper buying luxury items is forced to compare their own lifestyle to the lifestyle of one lacking basic amenities. The campaign raised donations for SA by 26% (Hochfellner). It might be interesting to see how it affected other sales in the grocery stores.
Visually, the Feed SA campaign reinforces the message by drawing the shopper into the experience. Although Feed SA operates food programs for children of all ages, all of the children depicted are very young and very small, which emphasizes the tragedy of the situation and the helplessness of the starvation victims. Shoppers may be less empathetic to a teenager, who they might perceive to have more personal responsibility for their poverty. The starving child at the bottom of the grocery carts makes direct eye contact with anyone steering the cart, connecting personally to the shopper. The dark colors surrounding the child contrast with the bright colors of the shopping cart and the brightly lit grocery store, giving viewers the experience of reaching from one world into another. The camera angle gives the viewers an immersive experience and puts them in a position of power above the child; power to either help or ignore. They are reminded of this choice when they pass the donation points while exiting the store.
The Feed SA campaign is extremely effective. It promotes awareness of a problem in a way which can create guilt in the viewer, then provides a solution to satisfy feelings of empathy as well as remove the unpleasant feelings of guilt. Feed SA also creates a specific emotional appeal to Black South Africans with the money to donate by showing children reflective of the majority race, and juxtaposing the lifestyle of the viewer with the lifestyle of the children in need. Finally, the photographs used for the decals are intense and pitiful, drawing the viewer in. The child makes eye contact and appeals directly to the shopper, which makes the plea for help a personal one. Feed SA directs 87% of donations directly to food programs, leaving an extremely slim budget for administration and advertising (About Feed SA). The use of small decals in grocery carts is an excellent example of using limited resources to create a powerful and effective campaign.
Works Cited
Hochfellner, Seppi. Feed SA Trolley - Ambient, South Africa. 2008. Adland, South Africa. Adeevee. By TBWAHuntLascaris. Web. 4 Feb. 2016.
"About Feed SA." Feed SA. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.
Statistics South Africa. “Census 2011” statssa.gov. Statistics South Africa, 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2016.
